This invention relates to an improved rotor for a combine harvester which effectively prevents vines and stalks of crop plants from wrapping about and binding up the rotor making it virtually impossible for the combine harvester to function properly.
Combine harvesters typically are used to harvest crops and some of the combine harvesters have a rotor which is disposed generally parallel to the direction of movement of the combine harvester. The rotor is generally used to separate the grain from the vine or stalk and to move the vine or stalk through the back end of the combine harvester. As the combine harvester moves through the field, the combine harvester severs the stalk or vine of the crop plant near the base thereof, and the stalk or vine is moved through the combine harvester and along the rotor which removes the grain from the vine or stalk with the grain being moved into a hopper and the vine or stalk being disposed of out the back end of the combine harvester.
The crop plants are best harvested when there is still some moisture content in the grain which also means that the vine and stalk will also have some moisture content. What typically happens is that the vine or stalk behaves similar to wire and tends to wrap about and essentially binds up the rotor thus causing the combine harvester to break down. In an attempt to solve this problem, the prior art includes a plurality of short generally rectangular members which are disposed parallel upon the rotor near the front end thereof and which are also spaced from one another about the rotor. Unfortunately, the vine and stalk from the crop plants have continued to wrap about and bind up the rotors of the prior art.
None of the prior art describes the present invention which substantially solves the problem of the vine and stalk wrapping about the rotor and causing the combine harvester to break down.